The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art, and therefore, nothing herein should be construed as an admission by the inventor or his legal representative that the information disclosed herein is prior art.
Fishing is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is also one where at least an equal number of creative methods are employed to catch that often-times elusive fish, for example, fishing by hand, by bow-and-arrow, by spear, use of dynamite, and nets. However, the most popular method is fishing from a boat with a rod and reel. As boat fishing allows for more area to be covered in a given time frame, it is understandable why so many anglers choose this method.
Recreational fishing is one of the largest industries in the world. According to “Economic Contributions of the U.S. Fishing Industry,” Brookings, Sep. 3, 2014 article, it is estimated that that the fishing industry contributes nearly $90 billion annually to the economy and supported over one and half million jobs. U.S. anglers outnumber golfers nearly 2 to 1. In 2014, there were more than 40 million anglers. Just the anglers spent $41.8 billion on trips, equipment, licenses, and other items, an average of $1,262 per angler. According to the Boat Owners Association of the U.S., there are over 16,800,000 boats in use nationwide by 75 million users.
If there are multiple people fishing from a boat, there is an opportunity for the lines to tangle unless they are positioned correctly. Attempts have been made to solve this problem through the use of rod holders. However, conventional rod holders have various issues. For example, when the fish begins to take the bait, there is movement on the rod and the angler must remove the rod from the holder in order to jerk the line to set the hook in the fish's mouth. When the angler removes the rod from conventional rod holders, he has to disengage the clamping mechanism that causes vibration on the line, which can scare the fish off, thus making fish more difficult to catch.
Another deficiency found in many conventional rod holders is that the means for clamping and securing the rod is not sufficient to maintain the fishing rod in place and allow one to leave their rod in the holder during transit. Thus, if the decision is made to move to another fishing area, the anglers sometimes have to remove the fishing rods from the holders and stow their gear until the new destination is reached in order to protect their rods from damage caused by vibration during the move. If this is done, when the next fishing spot is reached the angler must reset the rods into the holders, and adjust them for the new location. This wastes valuable fishing time.